I need advice on loudness mastering. I record a song from Renoise output to Ardour input via Jack using these maximizer settings:
With this setting I get a non-clipping audio, relatively dynamic that peaks at -0.1 db. When I analyze this audio with ardour’s loudness analysis, I get:
Then I use Ardour’s loudness assistant to keep dbTP at -1.0 dBTP and I don’t set a target for LUFS
As a result of exporting like this you can see, my dBFS peak has been reduced to -2.6dBFS and True peak at -1.0 dB and LUFS at -12.1. If I set a target for LUFS with the assistant I get much lower dBTP (around -3.0)
Is this approach a correct one to adjust loudness for streaming platforms, should I target LUFS instead or am I missing something else?
It is recommended to use -14 LUFS normally, but most people make it much louder because they think louder is better. I usually stay between -12 - -14 LUFS. You don’t need to take care on the platform as they will just make your track louder or reduce the volume. The sound does not change beside of that. -1 dB True Peak is fine (and important to not clip) and everything between -14 to -12 LUFS is ok and a question of taste.
Google (or whatever) Ian Shepherd and loudness. He has plenty of free videos and podcasts on this, and good sane advice on how to master for assorted platforms (basically, as others here have noted, aim for something like -14 LUFS for everyone).
A more interesting issue is understanding just how each DAW tool calculates the LUFS for your track. Sometimes a brief-but-loud part of a track can throw off the calculation, and identifying that can give better results.
I don’t know currently, but as recent as earlier this year YouTube did not raise the volume of quieter programs. It did lower things that exceeded the integrated loudness of -14dB LUFS. So I wouldn’t blindly assume that platforms raise quieter submission.
For sure. A loud and proud master starts with a good mix.
The idea of integrated loudness is great but… there are a few pitfalls and the mix is certainly one of them. If, for example, you have excessive amounts of bass you easily get up to that -14dB LUFS. This causes your track to be quieter than it needs to be. So make sure your mix is up to snuff.
You can game the -14dB LUFS system. Making it sound louder than it has any right doing. But it does require careful planning from the get go. Starting with your composition, sound design, arrangement and mix.
